Animal I have become
by sanctuary.for.all
Summary: The BAU team needs to face a disturbing serial killer while Strauss' uncle tries to do justice by his own hands, putting all of them in danger. It's my first fic so I would be really happy if you could Read&Review!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

-Characters from the TV show _Criminal Minds_

-I don't own: _CBS_ property

_ Three Days Grace's_ song: _Animal I have become_

=) ENJOY!

**Chapter 1**

"_The family is a heaven in a heartless world." – Christopher Lash_

There were two occupants in the old car. The designated driver by the name of Joshua, who drove too fast at three in the morning in a dirt road, and his younger brother Peter, who sat in the back seat with his legs sprawled at his ease to be in a much desired comfortable position for sleeping. Joshua accidentally ran over a big rock and the red Toyota Corolla jumped violently waking Peter in the process.

"What the heck? Josh! Are you out of your mind? Slow down!"

"Don't worry so much. I want to arrive home before mom notices we're missing. Have you forgotten you're supposedly grounded?"

"I still want to get there in one piece! Why are you driving in this awful road?"

"Well, if mom knows I took you with me, I'll be the one who won't be in one piece! And this is a short-cut. Now, calm down Pete."

The brothers continued their way towards home. As the local station changed the late news to the song "Animal I have become" by Three Days Grace the car ran over something hard again, but this time it cracked beneath its weight. Peter's first expression was «Again? » to whom Joshua responded with a simple «Shut up! ». Putting the car to a stop the two young men left the vehicle to investigate the source of their almost second accident within sixteen minutes. What they saw made them scream for their lives. A dirty duffel bag was slightly open; only to reveal limbs that once belonged to someone. It certainly wasn't the end they'd hopped for their night.

* * *

**FBI Academy in Quantico – 6****th**** floor's bullpen**

At the bullpen of level 6, the BAU's floor, you could notice an unusual scene. Chief Erin Strauss entered SSA Aaron Hotchner's office and sat quietly speaking about a recent murder investigation, the strangeness resided in the state of Strauss, who looked ready to start crying in the middle of the conversation. Derek Morgan walked from his office and went onto a small gathering around his co-workers desks that stood still, glaring at him when he approached them too loudly for their likes.

"Hey. What's going on?"

"Look." Emily Prentiss said as she pointed to Hotch's office. "Strauss has been there for almost an hour."

"Is it just me or is she sobbing?" pointed Morgan.

"You do know she's human, right?" David Rossi asked jokingly before he took a much somber tone. "One way or another, people always break. I guess it was Erin's turn."

"How much are you willing to bet we're needed for a case and she's tagging along?" Prentiss asked sarcastically.

"Oh! The fun!" Morgan joked.

"Fun?" Asked a confused Spencer Reid.

"Kid I swear! One of these days you'll learn the meaning of sarcasm the hard way…" Sighed a frustrated Morgan.

"Actually sarcasm is a cutting, often ironic remark…" Reid began, before he was interrupted by both of their bosses who had finished the long meeting.

"Conference room, in five. We've got a case." Hotch directed to the team.

* * *

**FBI Academy in Quantico – Aaron Hotchner's Office**

"So what's the deal?"

"Excuse me Dave?"

"You heard me just fine. What was Strauss doing in here?"

"A victim of our next case is a friend from her childhood. They studied together in a private boarding school. Strauss' uncle, who is also her friend's godfather, apparently, is well connected inside the FBI and knew about this before she did. He told her and asked for our help."

"What do you think?"

"I don't know yet…but I think that we weren't just chosen because we work at the BAU. I think it might be due to us being beneath Strauss in the chain of command." Hotch pointed.

"Specially under her supervision." Rossi concluded. "He thinks he can keep the investigation under control thru us?"

"Perhaps, but we still need to consider it as a regular case. After everything is determined we can make the proper conclusions on Strauss' involvement in this."

"Well, if he thinks he can control anything, he's out of luck. No one in this team is hypocritical enough to become an informer for Strauss or her uncle."

"I know."

"Oh God, I just can't handle politics!" Rossi add annoyed. To which Hotch chuckled has he remembered Prentiss' opinion on the same subject. His friend noticed so and become curious. "What?"

"Nothing, but I have the impression that this will be a long case."

"Why do I have the feeling I won't like what comes next?" Rossi said as Hotch gave him a quick look that said «Behave or I'll kick your butt before Strauss does it. » and with that he stepped out of his office and went to the conference room with older agent behind him.

* * *

**FBI Academy in Quantico – 6****th**** floor's conference room**

As expected, all of the team members were already waiting for the remaining profilers. Eager to get it done quickly, he asked Garcia to start the display of the photos from the different crime scenes.

"This new case is in Fairbanks, Alaska. According to the local authorities nine people were abducted in the last two weeks. All from different places, except for two twins with the age of five." As he spoke Garcia projected the victims' photos and respective locals of abduction.

"How were they connected?" Morgan skeptically asked, since there were victims of both sexes in all colors and ages.

"In each local of abduction a letter was left with the victims' ID in it, and a paper." They all looked at the letter as Reid read it out loud.

"Evolution means family." As everyone was still gathering their thoughts Prentiss was the first to speak and break some of their concentration.

"Do you think the unsub is looking for a family?"

"It's quite disturbing. But a possibility." Rossi said.

"Still, victimology doesn't fit. We have blonds, brunettes, redheads, adults, children, black and white people…" Argued Morgan.

"It does if you grew in foster care." Hotch pointed.

"Or if you're dismissed within your own family." Garcia, to the team's surprise, added.

"Okay people. We'll think about it better on the flight. We leave in two ours. I suggest you to take warm cloths and regular luggage. Chief Strauss informed me to advise you not to take only a go bag."

"By other words, if we don't catch the SOB then we'll be stuck there until we catch him?" Prentiss asked half-jokingly, half-serious.

"Like I said to Dave; it'll be a long case."

"Just peachy." Said a dissatisfied Prentiss.

.

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Author's note: YAY! My first chapter!

I only missed one day phoebe9509! LOL

Read & Review so I now if was worth to publish this =)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**The Jet**

It was 7.30pm when the jet left to Fairbanks. They had the usual briefing inside the small plane at 8.30pm as they ate an Italian meal, courtesy of Rossi's mother who was spending sometime at her son's house. Hotch took the liberty of informing the team about Strauss' involvement in the case and that it meant they had to act cautiously, by other words, they had to be preoccupied with the case and with the fact that Strauss could fire one or more of them if she thought protocol wasn't being followed. Morgan looked disappointed. Talking freely to Garcia was one of the few ways for the team, especially himself, to relief some of the stress and pressure that tagged with each and every case they worked on. How were they going to get a truthful moment of peace or joy until the case was closed it's a mystery to him.

By 10:45pm almost everyone was asleep, after all it was a nine hour plane ride until they could finally step a firm and solid ground. Aaron Hotchner and Emily Prentiss were reviewing all they had on the case. They decided to begin tracing a geographical profile on the dump sites the killer used, they did so to spare as much as possible time to get everything done. Usually it was Reid's job to do it, but by getting it done sooner he would have more free time to help the team in other aspects of the case, and by doing so everything would run faster, since Hotch was also dealing with the press besides his regular functions.

Emily got up to fill their coffee mugs when a sudden jolt sent her to the ground after hitting her head in the balcony where the coffee maker was. Hotch grabbed his seat with his life and screamed to the other team members to buckle their seatbelts and for Emily to hold on to Rossi's seat, that was the closest to her position. A loud sound filled the air altogether with the plane's turbulence and made all of them to think they were going to crash to a certain painful death. After what had seemed hours the jet became stable and no one dared to speak, afraid that a single breath could make everything collapse. Being in the floor forced Emily to get up and eventually be the first one to speak.

"Is everyone alright?" With that said the profilers exchanges several looks between them until Reid spoke.

"We all seem to be slightly in shock. Other than that I think we're all okay under the circumstances…" He said with his voice wavering.

"Geez I think you might be the worst one kid…I mean, seriously? No rambling of statistics?" Before Reid could start speaking Morgan continued. "By the way…What the hell was that?"

"I'll check with the pilot. Remain calm, maybe we'll have to make an emergency landing." Hotch said as he got up from his seat and entered the pilot's cabin. At the same time Rossi stood and went near Emily who had been looking rather distant since she spoke after the turbulence.

"What's wrong Emily?" He asked as he accessed her physical and mental state. It surprised him how quiet she was considering there was blood all over her once white blouse. She had a big cut in her right arm; Rossi assumed it was from the mugs she was previously holding that broke with the prior scuffle for a safe and steady position as the plane shook them violently. She also had blood starting to fall slowly from a graceless gash that was covered by her black bangs. Her non-response made Reid and Morgan stand up from their seats and reach her quickly. The men on the team had been acting more protectively of her since JJ left the BAU. Sometimes she just wished to be treated has before, but after all they were a family.

"Emily look at me." Rossi tried. Seeing it wasn't working Morgan grabbed her shoulders and turned her body so it was facing his. He looked at her pale face and gently lifted her chin with his hand so he could look straight into her eyes. That worked and she quickly regained her usual posture and took a look at her surroundings, her teammates and herself.

"Look." She started as she absorbed the recent events. "It looks like a freaking hurricane passed right through here!"

"Yeah, and you were right in the middle of it." Rossi pointed. "Go with Morgan. You need to sit while Reid's going to get something to treat your wounds until we land. And I'm going to talk to Hotch."

"I'm fine. And where exactly is Hotch?" Emily didn't like being treated as she was made off porcelain.

"He's talking with the pilots. You're not fine Prentiss, you're hurt and in shock." Morgan wasn't going to let her go that easily. "Besides, you're in a plane, where are you going to? We can only wait until we land and then you'll go to a hospital."

"You're not my boss. And I've said I'm fine. It's just some scratches, nothing I haven't handled before." As she finished the last protest, Hotch, who had been informed by Rossi, had just left the pilot's cabin and was holding a first aid box.

"But I am. And it happens that I agree with Morgan." Hotch gave the box to Reid who sat rambling very low to himself statistics on plane crashes and first aid measures. He knew that being such a stressful situation rambling out loud would upset his co-workers.

"Emily…" Reid called as calm as he could. "Could you seat here?"

Emily sighed and did what he said, she was feeling wired. She leaned against a seat to Reid's left side and stretched her pained right arm to him. She closed her eyes and felt a strong wave of dizziness.

"Try to maintain awake. You can't fall asleep, you probably have a concussion. The severity of a Traumatic brain injury can range from a mild concussion to the extremes of coma or even death. But the percentage of people who fall asleep with a concussion and…" Reid was once more interrupted, this time by Emily herself.

"I promise I won't fall asleep. I know better…Humm I think concussions and bruises are in my top 3." She told him jokingly to ease the mood. But a sudden gasp she made, by Reid beginning to disinfect her wounds, gained her too much worried looks for her like, Reid noticed it and tried to apologize and keep her talking.

"Sorry…What top 3?" He asked as Morgan, whom had also noticed how uncomfortable she was for the attention she was getting, made his own question.

"What are the other ones?"

"It's okay Reid. One of them it is probably headaches." Hearing that made Morgan chuckle and take advantage of it to give his own contribution for a better mood between the profilers.

"Did you hear that pretty boy? You need to quit the sugar so you can speak less and spare Prentiss of undesired headaches."

"Shut up Morgan. Don't mind him Reid. He's just jealous he's not as smart as you." Emily playfully said as Morgan pretended to be hurt by her words. Meanwhile, at the most distant seats from the trio, Rossi and Hotch were far from discussing things lightly, they had to face the problem at hands without startling Prentiss. Reid had told them he was afraid she would go into shock again.

"The pilot doesn't know what happened. We'll be landing in Columbus, Nebraska for a check up on the jet." Hotch told Rossi in a low voice.

"Have you told Garcia?"

"No. The pilot doesn't want electronics working until we land."

"Why?" Questioned a curious Rossi.

"First he's not our regular pilot; he only got this job two weeks ago. He was previously working in Europe, and there they don't let people use electronics on board."

"I know they don't, but this isn't some cheap commercial flight!"

"He said, and I quote, «_It's better to wait for a landing in twenty minutes than certain death before it_. » " Hotch told every word without one hint of a joke. "I think we should do what he wants. I don't want him to get even more stressed than what he is right now. And it's useless to warn anyone else besides the airport of Columbus. They already know everything that has happened in this flight, I'm certain Strauss will be notified soon."

"How much are you willing to bet that Garcia already knows? She has a program, she made herself, that when one of our names appears in any hospital database she gets a warning message. I bet she has one just for the jet." Rossi said partially joking, partially assuring everything would go smoothly from that time on. "Every time one of us uses that bathroom over there she gets a signal in Quantico…I'm telling you, I have never feared someone like the way I fear her."

"Don't be so dramatic Dave." Hotch said has he rolled his eyes. "You get along just fine. Why should you fear her?"

"My ex-wife said I had a thing for drama." Rossi and Hotch both chuckled at this sentence. "I treat her well so she doesn't get mad and send a controlled missile after me."

"You're talking about Garcia?" Reid said, getting a nod from the older profilers who gave small smiles until they saw his hands. He had gone to check with Hotch about the current situation and forgot to clean the blood from Emily's wounds. Rossi gave his seat to the young genius and went to the bathroom for some paper to give Reid for him to clean the majority of the blood. Hotch told him the same information he had relayed to Rossi. Soon the three of them went to seat near Morgan and Emily who were talking about the current case in hands, it was a method of keeping Emily awake and everyone distracted while the plane reached the nearest airport for an emergency landing.

Twenty minutes had passed when the pilot announced they had to buckle their seatbelts and prepare to land. Everyone's hearts start beating faster, as if a shot of adrenaline had been administrated when the jet started is way down. Reid mumbled poems his mother used to read to him when he was younger and regretted not having visited her in the last four months. His mind flashed photographs and several old memories he rarely re-visited. There is a particular one, which jumped several times; that he chooses to hold on to. A picture his mother had insisted to take with the team when she went visiting him during last Christmas. Behind it she had written « Family is made by those you love. ». Rossi remembered one of his ex-wives saying, during the divorce process, how she would love to push him of a plane and never see him again. He also remembered how close they became after that and how he had wished to have had more time with her before she died. He just wanted to end this quickly so he'd be able to spent some time with is dog Munchie in the cabin he owned. Emily thought about what would happen if they couldn't help the victims' families of this new case, she had been under similar circumstances involving planes and didn't believe they would crash, but the FBI could take them of the case and that could mean more victims until another team could pick it up. She focused on the case and let the pain remain masked by her dueling of emotions. Hotch thought about his son, Jack, and how would the little Hotchner react if his father went to a better place like Haley. It hurt him not being as much present in his son's life has he wanted to, but since Haley's death everyone in the team found time to "steal" paperwork from the usually large pile of files in his office. He was grateful for belonging to this family and for Jack to be in it too. He took a deep breath and in his head he saw Jack smile. Morgan kept a hand in Emily's shoulder and tried to relax by thinking about his mother and his sisters. He thought on the day his father died and felt somewhat relieved for Ellie not having stayed with him. Still, the pain would destroy the tiny hope that now bloomed within her heart from having found her biological mother. Garcia would be forever broken if any of them returned to DC in a coffin. A sentence ran thru everyone's mind.

_Life is too short and nothing lasts forever._

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What's up with those reviews?

Candy for those who reviewed the first chapter and to those who have alerts on this story!

Read & Review to make this girl happy =D


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:

-Characters from the TV show _Criminal Minds_

-I don't own: _CBS_ property

(the same goes to chapter 2)

**Chapter 3**

**FBI Academy in Quantico – 6****th**** floor**

Agent Anderson was passing thru Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia's office when a mixture of a growl and a scream startled him. He rushed inside Garcia's office to discover the origin of such sound. As he entered he saw the blond typing so violently he genuinely thought she would break it if she didn't slow down. Anderson knew Garcia for several years and before he asked her what was happening he took the liberty of scanning the screens in front of him. His attention was caught by one that had only a big, bright and red word blinking. Danger. He then decided to approach the computer genius and with a soft voice he spoke to her.

"Hello Garcia. Do…do you want to tell me what is bothering you?"

"What?" She asked as she turned to face him. "Oh! It's you. I didn't hear you enter here…Well, the team went to Alaska for a case and they just made an emergency landing."

"Maybe it's due to the weather. I hear two commercial flights were cancelled twenty minutes ago. But, has something happened?"

"That's where lays my frustration! I can't get a hold of any of them, not even Hotch. And the people in the airport aren't being helpful; I bet they took the night to pick on me! I'm having a heart attack if I don't find out soon what is going on!" She said all of it in one breath, as soon as she finished it Anderson took a chance to speak.

"I'll talk to Chief Strauss. You try to find them and don't worry so much. I bet their fine." He assured her with a small smile.

Penelope did every single thing she could to contact her friends. Fifteen minutes prior to her conversation with Agent Anderson she startled another two agents, who stood outside her office discussing the news on a series of car crashes due to the rain and frost on the streets and highways across the country, with a loud « _Eureka! _» from having received news from her chocolate god. It was only a text message saying « _We had an emergency landing at Columbus Municipal Airport. Everything is fine baby girl. We'll have to spend the night here in Columbus, Nebraska. Tomorrow morning I'll call you._ » , although it was unusual for Morgan to sound so distant when texting her, she was so happy knowing they were okay that she didn't questioned what might have gone wrong for them to spend the night in Nebraska. She calmed herself down before heading to Strauss' office to tell the recent news.

* * *

**Columbus Community Hospital, Nebraska – waiting room**

They decided to spend the night in Columbus and leave early in the morning, so Emily could get her wounds properly treated and they could all get some rest until their minds were once more filled with gruesome pictures. Before anyone could protest, Hotch decided to have every single member of his team checked by a doctor. At the end they were all clear except for Prentiss who was still doing exam after exam.

Hotch stood up and talked with Strauss who asked Garcia to arrange a place for them to spend the night. Waiting for Morgan and Rossi who had gone to the cafeteria was Reid; Hotch ended the phone conversation and sat by his right side. Hotch had called Strauss, his son and Jessica and by the time he stood still for more than two minutes he noticed how quiet and unfocused Reid was. There were some silent awkward minutes until Hotch decided to ask some questions that were on his mind since the earlier events.

"Reid, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Asked the younger man that was caught by surprise, in fact Hotch would have laughed at Reid's face if it was another time. He looked like a deer that was stroke by a car's headlights and at the same time he looked like a small boy worrying too much for his own good.

"You've been rather distant since the jet…incident."

"I'm thinking that's all…" But seeing Hotch's unconvinced facial expression he thought that he could just get it done with. "Since Colorado that I haven't felt so useless towards Emily, even when she had the car accident I knew I couldn't have done something to prevent it. But today I panicked and I took too long to act. She lost more blood because I needed Morgan to snap me out of it. What if her injuries were far worse? What if they are and I didn't see it? I didn't do it right…it had to be Morgan to speak with her so she would remain conscious, I couldn't speak and she's one of the few people to whom I trust my life…"

"Reid, today you were the one that helped Prentiss the most. You have no need to feel that way. Besides, she seemed better when coming in. If you hadn't been there it would have been worse. We were all afraid of crashing or dying, and it's okay to be afraid Reid. She knows that you were there for her, and to her it is all that matters."

"I just want this day to be over." Reid let a sigh escape as he said that last word.

"Don't we all?" Hotch murmured to himself. He wanted to rest but he wasn't eager to work this new case in Alaska. He had a feeling that things would get worse and that by the time they had finished, depending on Strauss' involvement, there could be someone arriving to Quantico without a job. He hadn't spoken to anyone about what happened during his meeting with Strauss, he just made an overall resume to Rossi. The thing with most impact was the determination in Strauss' eyes; he feared that her personal feelings could cloud her judgment and therefore become another problem for the team to handle. He had to leave his thoughts behind as two familiar voices pulled him to the present time. Morgan and Rossi had returned with five coffees and some bagels and were laughing while discussing some unknown subject.

"Do you feel like sharing with the class?" Hotch said looking at his two friends.

"We're placing our bets for when Prentiss walks through those doors." Morgan said smiling. "Want to join us?"

"No thank you. That's between you two." Hotch responded with a small smile.

"What about you kid?"

"Why would I bet on that? Besides not making sense I don't think it is appropriate to do so."

"Well, I say she'll come walking against the doctor's orders. Morgan says she'll be grumpy but will let them push her in a wheelchair." Rossi explained.

"I won't bet on something like that."

"Why not?"

"People are unpredictable. There are two other exits that link the section she is and this waiting room. You are betting in a single door, she could give a bigger turn and not get out in this one."

"Really kid?" Morgan asked incredulous. "It's not about the doors; it's her mood that is at stake."

"You can't bet on someone's mood! That reminds me…I read in this medical magazine that…" And he was interrupted again by Hotch who simply said « _Not now Reid._ », which made Rossi chuckle slightly at the interaction of this team he could call of family. They continued with light conversations until they heard Emily saying out loud how she had been there to get her head and arm checked not her legs that were made for walking. She almost hit the male nurse that forced her into a wheelchair.

"Now that's the Emily Prentiss we know and love." Morgan grinned as he signaled the nurse that he would push her from that point on. "So princess, are you having a déjà vu?"

"Ahah. Very funny Morgan! Now that you speak…I kind of remember telling you that I _can_ walk." She said putting a big emphasis at the end.

"Oh. And I remember telling how I like pushing you around." He said with a small chuckle. He then turned to Rossi and mouthed « I won! » but before Rossi had time to respond he felt someone smacking him. "What the…? Prentiss, what was that for?"

"You made a bet at my expenses." She answered as she rose from the wheelchair and stood facing him and having the rest of the team in the bench behind her. "Payback's a bitch Morgan, one day I'll make you wish you were never born."

"How did you…" He started, only to be interrupted by Emily.

"I'm a profiler, duh!" She then faced Hotch who, altogether with Reid and Rossi, stood ready to get away from that Hospital. "Before you say something, I'm walking by myself out of here. I just need to meet the doctor in five minutes at that reception with the two nurses and then we can head out."

"Why do you need to see the doctor? Is there a problem?" Hotch asked as they directed themselves towards the reception.

"No, he is just going to give me some painkillers. He told me the nearest pharmacy was robbed this weekend and he decided to be a gentleman. Or maybe it's because he knows I'm FBI…he looked surprised to know what happened to us. Apparently an FBI Agent isn't allowed to have a scratch or two that every doctor wants to know what happened. I heard some of the nurses talking and this place it's a living soap opera!"

"I bet it is." Morgan said dreamily as he looked at a beautiful nurse, getting once again smacked in the head by Emily. "Aren't you supposed to be resting your arm?"

"I hit you with my good arm. Since I'll be using just one, I need to practice."

"Ha. Ha. We are in a good humor aren't we?"

.

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Author's note: Hey! Sorry for taking so long to post this chapter.

Unfortunately I had an accident with a drill and my hand isn't looking that good... =S

I'll keep posting but it will take longer as writing in the laptop has become a challenge having a bandaged hand and all.

But hey! I bet your reviews will help my ego, then I'll direct my ego's happiness to my hand LOOL

I want to give an enormous hug to martina, Sara Nublas, CoconutsMalibu & JayJe for their reviews on the last chapter! You are awesome!

And to all those who have alerts on this story! You are awesome too!

PS: Those who have alerts and have been reviewing you are twice as awesome! =D


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